Carbon offset startup Tree.ly has secured €5 million Seed investment.

Tree.ly develops forest climate protection projects in Austria, Germany, and across Europe to mitigate climate change by harnessing the full potential of local forests and collaborating with forest owners, municipalities, corporations, and citizens.

Tree.ly is third-party certified and annually audited by TÜV. Its projects undergo rigorous monitoring, and its scientifically proven methodology is ISO-certified, ensuring additionality and preventing leakage with implemented measures to manage permanence risks.

The company uses geospatial engines, ML-powered stock measurement, species detection, and stock change modelling.

The company has secured contracts covering 105,299 hectares across Europe in just one year, storing over 2.8 million tons of CO₂. 

Jodok Batlogg, co-founder and CEO of Tree.ly, explains:

“The market for voluntary emission certificates will grow to €15 billion globally and €3 billion in Europe within five years, with a strong trend towards regional and high-quality projects. 

Tree.ly’s certified projects are the perfect response to this. As one of the fastest-growing technology companies in this field, this investment will significantly accelerate growth in our European markets, strengthen Tree.ly’s technological leadership, and drive the development of new forest-based climate protection offerings.”

PortfoLion Capital Partners led the funding, which included, aws Gründungsfonds, Symbia VC, and the Tyrolean Business Angel Network. 

According to Aurel Pasztor, Partner at PortfoLion Capital: 

“The voluntary carbon markets demonstrated their potential to provide direct funding for climate change projects. Beyond multinationals, SMEs worldwide are now interested in financing nature-based climate projects in their local areas. 

However, concerns about poor quality project management and related controversies are holding them back. We believe that well-monitored local projects represent a significant business opportunity.

With deep roots in forest science and digital technology, the Treely team is ideally positioned to lead this effort as a European pioneer.”

Markus Jandrinitsch, Managing Director of aws Gründungsfond, shared:

“Our decision to invest in Tree.ly is based on their unique ability to create both ecological and economic value. By supporting regional forests across Europe, we are contributing to combating climate change and promoting biodiversity.”

Lead image: Tree.ly Founders Jodok Batlogg and Christian-Lutz. Photo: Julian Schmelzinger.